The Male Reproductive System An Introductory By: Ashlee Blannett Olivia Nevolas Samantha Evarts Jessica Hollister

The Male Reproductive System The purpose of the organs of the male reproductive system is to perform the following functions: To produce, maintain, and transport sperm (the male reproductive cells) and protective fluid (semen) To discharge sperm within the female reproductive tract To produce and secrete male sex hormones responsible for maintaining the male reproductive system

The External Male Reproductive System Unlike the female reproductive system, most of the male reproductive system is located outside of the body. These external structures include the penis, scrotum, and testicles.

Penis Penis: This is the male organ used in sexual intercourse. It has three parts the root, which attaches to the wall of the abdomen; the body, or shaft; and the glans, which is the cone-shaped part at the end of the penis.

Penis The body of the penis is cylindrical in shape and consists of three circular shaped chambers. These chambers are made up of special, sponge-like tissue. This tissue contains thousands of large spaces that fill with blood when the man becomes excited. As the penis fills with blood, it becomes rigid and erect.

Semen Semen, which contains sperm (reproductive cells), is expelled (ejaculated) through the end of the penis. When the penis is erect, the flow of urine is blocked from the urethra, allowing only semen to be ejaculated at orgasm.

Scrotum This is the loose pouch-like sac of skin that hangs behind and below the penis. It contains the testicles (also called testes), as well as many nerves and blood vessels. The scrotum acts as a "climate control system" for the testes. For normal sperm development, the testes must be at a temperature slightly cooler than body temperature. Special muscles in the wall of the scrotum allow it to contract and relax, moving the testicles closer to the body for warmth or farther away from the body to cool the temperature.

Testicles (Testes) These are oval organs about the size of large olives that lie in the scrotum, secured at either end by a structure called the spermatic cord. Most men have two testes. The testes are responsible for making testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and for generating sperm.

Testicles (Testes) Within the testes are coiled masses of tubes called seminiferous tubules. These tubes are responsible for producing sperm cells.

The Internal Male Reproductive System The internal organs of the male reproductive system, also called accessory organs, include the following:

Epididymis It is a long, coiled tube that rests on the backside of each testicle. It transports and stores sperm cells that are produced in the testes.

Epididymis Contractions force the sperm into the vas deferens. It also is the job of the epididymis to bring the sperm to maturity, since the sperm that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization. Contractions force the sperm into the vas deferens.

Vas Deferens The vas deferens is a long, muscular tube that travels from the epididymis into the pelvic cavity, to just behind the bladder. The vas deferens transports mature sperm to the urethra, the tube that carries urine or sperm to outside of the body, in preparation for ejaculation.

Ejaculatory Ducts These are formed by the fusion of the vas deferens and the seminal vesicles. The ejaculatory ducts empty into the urethra.

Urethra The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside of the body. It has the additional function of ejaculating semen. When the penis is erect, the flow of urine is blocked from the urethra, allowing only semen to be ejaculated.

Internal : Seminal Vesicles The seminal vesicles are sac-like pouches that attach to the vas deferens near the base of the bladder. The seminal vesicles produce a sugar-rich fluid (fructose) that provides sperm with a source of energy to help them move. The fluid of the seminal vesicles makes up most of the volume of a man's ejaculatory fluid, or ejaculate.

Prostate Glands The prostate gland is a walnut-sized structure that is located below the urinary bladder in front of the rectum. The prostate gland contributes additional fluid to the ejaculate. Prostate fluids also help to nourish the sperm. The urethra, which carries the ejaculate to be expelled, runs through the center of the prostate gland.

Bulbourethral Glands Also called Cowper's glands, these are pea-sized structures located on the sides of the urethra just below the prostate gland. These glands produce a clear, slippery fluid that empties directly into the urethra. This fluid serves to lubricate the urethra and to neutralize any acidity that may be present due to residual drops of urine in the urethra.

How It Works The entire male reproductive system is dependent on hormones, which are chemicals that regulate the activity of many different types of cells or organs. The primary hormones involved in the male reproductive system are follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone.

How It Works Follicle-stimulating hormone is necessary for sperm production (spermatogenesis) and luteinizing hormone stimulates the production of testosterone, which is also needed to make sperm. Testosterone is responsible for the development of male characteristics, including muscle mass and strength, fat distribution, bone mass, facial hair growth, voice change, and sex drive.

Sperm Looking somewhat like a particularly fat-headed worm or perhaps a one-legged octopus, the human sperm cell has three main, distinct parts and two structures that merit special description. The main parts are the head, middle and tail, while the parts deserving more than a cursory look are the acrosome and the mitochondria.

Sperm Head The head of a human sperm cell consists of an upper half (an acrosome) and a lower half that combine to cover and protect the nucleus that contains chromosomes. The capsule-shaped head of the sperm cell also contains like gel-like material known as cytoplasm that support the nucleus.

Sperm Nucleus/Chromosomes The sperm's nucleus contains the 23 male chromosomes. After implantation, the male chromosomes combine with 23 female chromosomes in the ovum's nucleus to form a new set of complete human genetic material.

Sperm Middle/Mitochondria The middle part of the sperm consists of mitochondria. Often described as the "power plants" of cells, mitochondria perform the final stage of converting a simple sugar into a substance known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, that cells can use as fuel. Mitochondria make ATP from a stored chemical called adenosine diphosphate, and the operations of mitochondria allow sperm cells to live for two to three days outside of a man's body.

Sperm Tail Also known as a flagellum, the sperm's tail propels the cell through the penis, vagina and uterus to get the cell to the ovum. The tail's motion is circular, like a boat's propeller. Sperm cells "compete" for implantation. Typically only one, if any, gets through the cell wall of the ovum. A long tail benefits a sperm cell by allowing it move faster and exert more force when its cell encounters the ovum.

Development of Sperm Males do not begin to produce sperm until puberty, when testosterone begins to exert its influence on overall male development and growth. Spermatogenesis is driven by testosterone production in the Leydig cells of the testes. Under the influence of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which are released from the anterior pituitary, the testes begin to produce sperm in a four-step process of development: spermatogonia, spermatocyte, spermatid, spermatozoon.

Development of Sperm This process is governed by a negative feedback loop, with testosterone acting as the primary negative feedback component that slows LH and FSH secretion. Inhibin, released during spermatogenesis, also specifically inhibits activity or down-regulates FSH. This feedback system can be overridden by the administration of exogenous testosterone, or medications such as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone antagonists, both of which stop the body's own production of testosterone (and halt spermatogenesis as well).

Effects of Alcohol on System Alcohol causes loss of libido, impotence, and sterility in males. Direct damage to testicular cells and impairment of control centers in the brain may help explain the sexual dysfunction. Hypogonadism may be caused by direct effects of alcohol on the testis; it can also be caused by effects of alcohol on parts of the brain that regulate gonadal function. These parts of the brain include the hypothalamus, located approximately in the center of the brain, and the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain just below the hypothalamus.